1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a timing signal generating device, and particularly to a timing signal generating device adapted to generate timing signals for operating each of plural operating devices for a predetermined time period during every rotation of a rotation member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there have been known coin treating machines such as coin counting and wrapping machines as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,416,291 and 3,469,365. In such machines, many operations such as the operations of stacking a predetermined number of coins in a stacking cylinder assembly, gripping the stacked coins and removing the same from the stacking cylinder assembly by opening the assembly, carrying the coin stack to the wrapping rollers while gripping the coin stack, holding the coin stack by means of the wrapping rollers, and supplying a wrapping web to the wrapping rollers so as to cause the coin stack to be tightly wound by the wrapping web, are sequentially performed with predetermined timing. Timing and sequence information for these operations are given from plural microswitches pushed by the associated cams which are mounted on a rotating cam shaft adapted to cause each operating section in the wrapping machine to complete its one cycle of operation during every rotation of the shaft.
In such a machine, however, it has been difficult to make the timing of the ON and OFF of each microswitch consistent with the desired timing. Particularly, it was very difficult to make the timing of the ON of one microswitch consistent with that of the OFF of another microswitch. Namely, accurate timing information could not be obtained. This is because of the difficulty in accurately working the cam surface of each cam and inaccuracy in mechanical operation of the microswitch per se. Further, in the case that many operational sections are sequentially operated, there are required microswitches in a number equal to that of the timing information required and a corresponding number of cams each having a configuration shaped to give the required timing information. In this case, it was very difficult to accurately mount the cams on the cam shaft and locate the microswitches in accurate position thereto.
Furthermore, if the rotation speed of the cam shaft is increased for the purpose of elevating the rate of operation, error in timing information will become a large problem, and consequently it has been impossible to elevate the speed of operation.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a timing signal generating device in which the above mentioned problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a timing signal generating device capable of giving accurate timing information.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a timing signal generating device in which the number of mechanical operating portions such as cams and microswitches is minimized so that error caused by the mechanical operating portions, which is inevitable in the conventional devices, is minimized or eliminated.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a timing signal generating device having no cam and no microswitch.
The above and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a timing signal generating device constructed in accordance with the present invention, which comprises a rotating member mounted on a rotating shaft to rotate therewith and having a plurality of marks located on the periphery thereof, and detecting means for detecting the marks on the rotating member to generate pulse signals in response to detection of the marks. Counting means is connected to the detecting means to count the pulse signals therefrom. Gate means is connected to said counting means to generate timing signals in response to a predetermined condition of the counting means. The counting means may be preferably a shift register, and each of the logic means has inputs each connected to a predetermined stage of the shift register, so as to generate a timing signal having information including starting time and terminating time of operation.